Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1530530
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 5 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// F I R S T R O U N D ////////// //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// S C O U T I N G R E P O R T ////////// OFFENSE Running back Brashard Smith, a first-team All-ACC pick, has carried 217 times for 1,270 yards and 14 touchdowns. Jennings, who is a dual- threat quarterback, is next with 93 car- ries for 379 yards and 5 scores. Three SMU players have at least 30 receptions on the year. Roderick Daniels Jr. is the team's leading receiver with 38 catches for 599 yards and 3 touch- downs. Key'Shawn Smith and Jordan Hudson both have 5 touchdown recep- tions. Tight end RJ Maryland, an honor- able mention All-ACC pick along with Smith, has 24 receptions for 359 yards and 4 scores. Casey Woods is the Mustangs' of- fensive coordinator, but Lashlee calls the plays. Woods was acquainted with Lashlee from their time together as as- sistants at Auburn, where they served on Gus Malzahn's staff. His "power spread" attack is predicated on speed. SMU is 19th in the FBS in seconds per play at 23.8. SMU ranks 49th nationally in rushing offense and 26th in passing offense. The Mustangs will try to stretch the Nittany Lions' secondary through the air the way Oregon did. SMU owns the nation's No. 18 third- down offense but is susceptible to turn- overs with 21 lost this season, which is No. 107 nationally. Woods' offense thrives on explosive plays, ranking 11th in the FBS with 206 plays of 10 yards or more, sixth with 72 plays of 20-plus yards, and 10th with 34 plays of 30-plus yards. DEFENSE SMU surrenders 27 points per game, which is No. 27 nationally. The Mustangs are outstanding against the run, ranking No. 4 nationally with an average of 93.6 yards allowed per game. However, they are No. 90 against the pass (232.7 ypg). Penn State ran the ball impressively in the Big Ten title game, totaling 292 yards against Oregon. It will be a tall order to match that performance versus SMU, but the Lions might be able to have some success through the air. The Mustangs are not particularly strong at cornerback, meaning that junior receiv- ers Harrison Wallace III and Omari Ev- ans will need to take advantage of their opportunities. SMU is aggressive when it comes to rushing the passer. The Mustangs have the third-most sacks in the FBS with 40, and their 95 tackles for loss rank seventh. Second-team All-ACC linebacker Kobe Wilson leads the defense with 110 tackles. The line is strong and physi- cal. Defensive tackle Jared Harrison- Hunte is a first-team All-ACC pick with 6 sacks. All-conference defensive end Elijah Roberts has 5.5 sacks and an FBS- best 54 hurries, per Pro Football Focus. Harrison-Hunte is eighth with 33 hur- ries. Edge rusher Cameron Robinson has 5.5 sacks and is fifth nationally with 11 quarterback hits. Defensive ends Jah- fari Harvey and Isaiah Smith have 7 and 6.5 sacks, respectively, with Harvey's total leading the team. Penn State's offensive line played ar- guably its best game of the year against a stout Oregon front. It will need to have another strong performance against the Mustangs. SMU is 25th nationally in turnovers with 21 and 16th in third- down defense. Safety Isaiah Nwokobia was a first-team All-ACC pick. This defense is no pushover. SPECIAL TEAMS The Mustangs cer- tainly appear to have a lot of faith in Collin Rogers. Of his 31 field goal at- tempts this year, 11 have been from 50 or more yards, and he's hit 7, with a long kick of 55 yards. Overall, he's 23 of 31 on field goals and has made all 51 of his PATs. Punter Issac Pearson averages 44.1 yards. Fourteen of his 40 punts have been returned for an average of 10.9 yards, which is No. 109 nationally. Leading receiver Daniels has a 9.8-yard average on 22 punt returns and brought one back for a 69-yard touchdown against TCU. PLAYOFF OUTLOOK The Mustangs weren't sure they were even going to be selected for the CFP after falling to Clemson in the ACC title game. A lot of people advocated for Alabama, mak- ing the now-familiar argument that the disparity between the conference schedules is enough to justify the choice of a three-loss SEC team over a two-loss ACC team that qualified for its league championship game. The selection committee wasn't buying it, though, and the Crimson Tide will watch the playoff on TV. SMU won't be favored to pull out a victory at Beaver Stadium, but its abil- ity to create big plays makes it a scary first-round opponent for Penn State, which saw its defense overwhelmed by Oregon. SMU's formidable run defense also could pose difficulties, especially if the game is played in inhospitable field con- ditions that make it difficult to pass. While many have assumed that the cold December weather will work to the ad- vantage of Northern teams in the play- off, it might not be quite so simple when the Mustangs come to town in hope of pulling off an upset that would earn them a spot in the quarterfinal round opposite Mountain West Conference champion Boise State. ■ Graduate linebacker Kobe Wilson leads SMU with 110 tackles and was a second-team All-ACC selection. PHOTO COURTESY SMU ATHLETICS